Sicily
by Happymood
Summary: I can only find peace when you are here, only because we don't need to talk much. I don't know how you do it… you managed to make me miss you. Oneshot. Greece/S.Italy Please R


_A.n. Plot bunnies bit me hard in the back. I should been writing my other story, Dance with me, but I wanted so much to try this one that I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I wanted to see if I could make this pairing work and I really want to know if I made it or not. :) _

_It could be considered a historical fic, even if the different historic happenings are just mentioned briefly and are kind of hidden. The relationship between Greece and Italy is really good and South Italians and Greeks are quite alike, that is mostly why I think this pairing could work, even if I like Spamano more. Anyway, this author's note is too long… Forgive me for any grammatical or lexical errors! Please, tell me how I did! Kisses, _

__Happymood_

**Sicily**

Heracles was bored already.

Four full days they were at sea and no sight of land. All around the big, wooden ship there was only the blue deep Mediterranean Sea and no matter what his mother told him Heracles couldn't really believe that the scenery would change any time soon. The ship was big and there was enough space for Heracles to find somewhere to sleep or play with the wooden toys his mother made for him but he was the only child around there and everyone else was too big and had too many things to do to spend time with him.

It was starting to get really boring. Sometimes his mother would find him and start narrating him stories to alleviate that tediousness but she too had other important things to do, being their boss's representative, and she couldn't be with Heracles all day long. Heracles didn't blame her, really, and he sometimes stayed with her when she talked and planned with the captain of the ship, who listened to her with all respect and admiration in his eyes, but Heracles would lose immediately interest in that too and he would again lie around, gazing at the white clouds up in the sky. Waiting… waiting…

"The seagulls!" someone shouted then and pointed at something floating in the sky. "The seagulls!" he repeated again and all the men on board ran to see and when they spotted the birds they started to scream with joy.

"The seagulls!" everyone then said in unison and in that moment Heracles heard the bird's characteristic scream over their head. Heracles stood abruptly up and helped by one of the sailors he managed to see over the rail a black outline of an island over the horizon.

"That's Sicily…" his mother appeared just then and Heracles looked up at his mother's smiling face as strands of brown hair flew around her delicate face. Heracles nodded and looked back at the outline of the island coming closer. Slowly Heracles managed to distinguish the outline of the trees and then the little harbor waiting for them. He thought he saw three figures standing in the sand but when Heracles looked again they were gone.

It took their ship an hour or so to finally dock and two hours to take all the goods they had on board out on the sandy beach. The natives immediately came to help them and started to chit chat in a strange dialect with the Greek sailors.

"Welcome to Sicily, Magna Grecia…" a broad man welcomed them as soon as they put their feet on the ground. Heracles looked up at his mother who was holding him by the hand and then at the smiling man before them. The man wasn't old, maybe in his twenties or so, and had messy brown hair with two strands of hair that strangely defied gravity. Heracles looked at him and the man turned his broad smile at him, patting the little boy on the head.

"Thank you, Roma…" his mother said then and the man called Rome smiled even wider and gave her a light hug. "It's years since I last saw you…" she continued then. They started to talk about things Heracles found really boring and he let go of his mother's hand to explore the island on his own. He didn't go far, though, as he saw a little boy around his age watching curiously, and Heracles thought a little pissed too, at the disembarking of the ship. Heracles titled his head and when he made to poke the other boy on the back the little brown haired boy let out a strange sound Heracles didn't comprehend.

The boy turned abruptly around to him with wide scared eyes but when he saw that it was Heracles immediately calmed down.

"You scared me, idiot!" the boy said and then sat down on a rock. "Are you Magna Grecia's son?" he added then and Heracles was amazed that the other boy knew of who he was.

"Yes…" Heracles said, "My name's Heracles…" he added. The other boy nodded the frown back on his face.

"And how much time are you going to stay here?" the other said. Heracles supposed that someone else, if it was in his place, would found that boy really rude but Heracles had missed the company of someone of his age too much to bother.

"A couple of months…" Heracles said, calmly, "…I don't know… what's your name?"

Now that Heracles looked at the other boy better he noticed big brown eyes look at him with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. He had brown hair, just like the man on the beach his mother had called Roma, and just like him he had a strand of hair that defied gravity. Heracles was tempted to pull it but refrained from doing so. The little boy stared at him with suspicious, searching in Heracles something the Greek couldn't understand and then he said:

"I'm Lovino..."

"Lovino…" Heracles calmly repeated and Lovino nodded slowly, still suspicious as before.

"Oh, I see you met each other!" Roma grinned at them, walking down the path Heracles had before, with his mother in tow. Lovino and Heracles turned to the two grownups and then concentrated both on Roma's wide grin. Roma had all his attention to Heracles, though: "Heracles, this is my oldest grandson, Lovino…" he said and then his smile turned into a confused frown. "Where is your brother, Lovi?"

Lovino snorted and looked up at the sky: "Probably chasing butterflies around, as always…"

"Grandpa Roma!" someone shouted right then, a cheerful voice filling the place, and the four of them turned around to look at an auburn haired boy around Heracles' and Lovino's age running to Roma. The broad man's grin was back into its place in a moment and he opened his arms to envelop the running boy in a hug.

"You must be Feliciano…" Heracles' mother, Olympia, said and patted the boy on the head. Feliciano was holding some flowers in his hands and as soon as he noticed the older woman he immediately gave them to her.

"These are for you, beautiful lady!" Feliciano exclaimed and Olympia smiled. Rome said something to Feliciano in their strange dialect and then turned to Lovino and Heracles.

"Heracles, this is Feliciano, my younger grandson and Lovino's brother!" Roma said proudly and a moment later Heracles had a handful of a cheerful Italian who had started talking quickly again:

"Heracles! I'm so happy to finally meet you!" Feliciano said with a big smile, "I'll show you all around the place and then we'll eat and have so much fun!"

Heracles didn't have the time to respond and he immediately found the other boy too active for his tastes. He looked back at Lovino, who was looking at Feliciano with jealously in his eyes, and unconsciously decided that Heracles liked that boy better.

"That's really sweet, Feli!" Roma exclaimed and laughed. "But you have to let them rest for the time being, they had a long journey…"

Feliciano nodded and then took Heracles' hand to lead him to where they were going to stay. Heracles looked back at Lovino, still sitting on the rock, with a hurt look on his face and said:

"Aren't you coming?"

At that Lovino turned abruptly to him, blushed and made to say something but Rome pushed him with a grin, telling him it was such a great thing Lovino had finally found someone to play with that wasn't his brother.

As soon as Feliciano led him to their tend Heracles fell asleep and he didn't wake up until next noon, much to Feliciano's disappointment.

/a\

Feliciano was too overactive, that's what Heracles decided some days later his arrival to Sicily, and that was all he could think as Feliciano talked and talked about some thing or another. Heracles wasn't really listening and probably it shown on his face but Feliciano didn't notice. He looked back at Feliciano's older brother and watched him absentmindedly play with the laces of his sandals.

"Why don't we play?" Feliciano exclaimed then, standing up and bouncing. Heracles turned back to the other boy. "I know! We could play hide and seek!"

"Isn't it too hot to play?" Heracles said and heard Lovino made a noise of agreement. Feliciano ignored him, though, and took Lovino's hand in his.

"We will hide and you'll have to find us!" Feliciano exclaimed, "Close your eyes and count to ten!"

Heracles sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't bother to ten, though, and a moment later he opened his eyes again. Feliciano and Lovino were nowhere to be seen. Heracles stood up and looked around, wondering where they have hid and if he will find them enough quickly so as to not miss his afternoon nap. Much to Heracles' joy he spotted a characteristic strand of hair standing out from behind a tree and slowly, quietly, as he had seen all his cats do when they went hunting, Heracles approached the tree and with a sudden move grabbed the hiding boy's shoulder.

"Got you…" Heracles said and Lovino looked up at him, scared at first, then slightly annoyed.

"I was sleeping…" Lovino whined and Heracles let go of his arm. Suddenly Lovino heard the Greek boy start to laugh and he turned around, startled at the noise. He blinked confused as he had never heard Heracles laugh and then something in his stomach started to pleasantly twirl. Lovino mistook it for annoyance. "What is it, Greek bastard?"

"Nothing…" Heracles said between laughs, "I just… found it amusing…" he stopped, then he looked at Lovino. "You are nice…"

"W-what?" Lovino stuttered. "What are you talking about, idiot?"

"You act all tough…" Heracles said then, calmly, "But you do all the nicest things… especially for your brother… even when you want to do something else…"

"It's not like that!" Lovino exclaimed and pushed Heracles roughly away. "Stop saying idiocies…"

"I like you…" Heracles suddenly said and a ghost of a smile formed on his lips. Lovino stared at him and then became ten shades of red. "I'm glad my mother brought me along…"

"Hmmph!" Lovino grunted, "Whatever you say…" but his blush was still deep. Heracles didn't seem to notice and then started looking around.

"Now I need to find your brother…" Heracles explained and Lovino's face fell. "The game is not over yet…"

"O-oh… yeah… well…" Lovino was ready to tell Heracles that he would help him but in that moment a loud shriek was heard. Both of them turned to the source of the noise, alarmed, and Lovino hid behind Heracles.

"Snake!" the voice shouted then and Lovino recognized his brother. Heracles seemed to recognize it also and ran to the point where he thought Feliciano would be. It wasn't far and in a moment Heracles, followed by Lovino, came across the frightened figure of Feliciano, hiding behind a rock, from a confused from all the fuss snake.

Heracles remembered the wooden sword his mother made for him and that he always carried around but when he made to take it he realized it was no longer there. Blinking away the confusion Heracles noticed Lovino ran to the snake, wooden sword in hand, and hit him with it on the head. The snake, dizzy, stopped moving for a moment and Lovino took advantage of the situation and took his brother away from the snake, back to Heracles, who was watching the scene fascinated.

Lovino sat down on the grass and patted a sobbing Feliciano on the head, and then he looked up at Heracles and made to give the sword back to its owner.

"I'm… sorry…" Lovino said and blushed a little. Heracles sat down and smiled.

"Keep it…" Heracles said, "You need it more than I do…"

Lovino looked at the sword unsure, then at Heracles before he turned his attention back at Feliciano. Just in that moment Roma and Magna Grecia ran to where they were sitting, startled at the noise. As soon as he spotted his granddad, Feliciano ran into Roma's arms and started narrating all the story of the snake and how Lovino saved him.

Olympia noticed the wooden sword in Lovino's hands and when she saw the way Heracles was looking at Lovino she smiled. Who would have thought…

That night Heracles found himself alone in his tent as Olympia had serious business to attend with Roma and his citizens. Heracles didn't remember when was the last time he remained alone with his mother as she always was around the village, teaching their language and narrating stories, helping building temples and doing what she was supposed to do. Heracles didn't mind, really, but it could get really lonely at night. Suddenly a head showed inside his tent and Heracles looked at the intruder, confused: it was Lovino.

When Heracles and Lovino's eyes met, Lovino started to blush again and mumbled something but before he could ran away Heracles grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

"Hi…" Heracles said when Lovino fell beside Heracles. Lovino blushed and then turned around, but he didn't move from his place beside the Greek boy.

"Thanks for the sword!" Lovino exclaimed to which Heracles only 'aah'-ed. "Good night!" Lovino said then and closed his eyes shut. Heracles smiled a little and mumbling a good night back, closed his eyes too.

For the next couple of months everything was calm. Olympia would stay hours with Roma and Heracles every day would play, nap and sometime swim with the two Italian brothers but the nights he shared his tent with Lovino. Every day they didn't talk much, that was Feliciano's work, mostly, as he liked to go on and on about everything and nothing, whereas Heracles preferred to listen and he complained only when he had to and Lovino only pouted, insulted Feliciano and went along with everything his brother wanted to do.

Heracles liked Sicily a lot. It was warm like his house was and it was surrounded by the sea. The vegetation too wasn't much different from back home and the only thing that changed was the language. In the end Heracles could consider Sicily as his own home and when the time came and he and his mother had to return back in Greece Heracles was sad.

It was early summer when the time to go came. The sea was calm but because of the heat it took the sailors much more time to take on board all the new goods they were taking with them to Greece. Some Greek sailors decided to stay in Sicily and moved in little houses in the different villages, and if they had wives and kids, making preparation when they in time will move to Sicily too. Heracles had asked Olympia to stay too but Magna Grecia had said no. On the other hand some natives decided to move in Greece and in the end the ship was ready to return home with the same number of men.

Roma was actually crying when Magna Grecia was ready to go and he hugged Heracles' mother over and over again, telling her how much he was going to miss her. Feliciano had smiled at Heracles and had begged him to come back one day and that they were going to surely miss him. Lovino had stood silent even when Heracles told him goodbye.

"Lovino is sad too!" Feliciano told in his brother's place making Lovino blush and exclaim that it wasn't true. "He really liked you!"

"S-s-shut up, idiot of a brother!" Lovino had shouted and smacked the younger on the head.

"That's mean!" Roma had said when he was aware of what was going on. Heracles just smiled and put a hand on Lovino's shoulder, gaining the other's attention.

"I'll write to you…" Heracles said as if it was the most normal thing to do. "So you won't feel lonely…"

"I won't reply…" Lovino exclaimed but Heracles knew that Lovino was actually glad to hear it. Heracles' expression didn't change and Lovino was taken aback when Heracles leaned and kiss him on the lips. It was just a peck but unknown to them both that had changed something in Lovino and years after in some parts of Italy a new dialect that was born: the katoitaliotika or grekanika.

Heracles then, under Lovino's confused stare, walked away from the three of them and embarked the ship that would take them back to Greece.

"Don't worry, son…" Olympia said as the wind swelled up the sails and they slowly made their way to deeper waters. "We will be back soon…"

Heracles hoped so and nodded at his mother as he waved at a lonely figure on the distant beach that was waving at the sea with all the strength he had.

/a\

_Dear Lovino, _

_My mother's stomach is getting rounder and she says that you, Feliciano and I are going to have a little brother or sister soon. I don't understand how this happened but I'm quite happy that something is going to get us even closer…_

_Dear Lovino, _

_It's a baby girl. She looks a lot like Roma but I'm not sure, she is too small to be certain. My mother wanted me to be the one that gave her a name. I decided to call her Theodora, Gift of the God. Do you like it?_

_Dear Lovino, _

_My mother lied. She had told me we were going to be back to Sicily too and, if I know by your letters that you wanted too, but she lied. Everything is painted black here, my mother died last night, holding in one hand me and in the other my little sister, telling us over and over how strong we must be and to never forget who we are…_

_Dear Lovino, _

_My name is Greece but my sister had started calling herself Byzantium. She is younger but she is growing quicker than me. Something is going to happen soon but I can't understand…_

_Dear Lovino, Italy Romano,_

_I'm sorry for your loss. He was a great man but I know whatever words I will say now won't help to alleviate the pain. You say he didn't love you as much as your brother but I think you are wrong. I'm sure Roma was proud of you and always will... _

_Dear Lovino, Italy Romano, _

_Byzantium is so strong now. My mother would be so proud of her and I am too. We heard all about the Gothic War and Theodora wants to speak to the East Roman Empire, so I guess we will see each other soon… _

South Italy hadn't changed at all, Greece thought, as the shores became more and more visible to his young eyes. He remembered the first time Heracles saw Sicily and all about his strange friendship with Lovino and Feliciano. He hadn't changed much, he just got a little taller, and he wondered how Lovino would look now. Heracles looked up to his right, where his sister, looking more like a teenager that he did, stood, enthralled as he had had been when Heracles saw Sicily for the first time.

Theodora looked a lot like Roma but she was more serious and just a little lazy like Greece. Heracles thought she was really beautiful and for a moment the way her long hair floated in the wind reminded him of their mother and a new wave of sadness overwhelmed him. He tried to forget it immediately, though, and he looked back at Sicily's sandy beaches, hoping to see Lovino soon.

Disembarking took them a lot less than they first anticipated and in an hour or so they were walking down the streets of the city of Agrigento. Theodora was thrilled and she continued pointing up and down whatever she thought interesting, Greece, on the other, walked calmer beside her and looked around in search of a familiar face. It didn't take long for him to spot a mass of brown hair with a characteristic strand of hair. Heracles suddenly felt his mouth go dry and his heart started beating faster than before as Lovino stood up from his place and went to meet them.

Lovino looked at Heracles and Heracles noticed that Lovino too hadn't changed much in the years. He was still a child as Heracles was.

"You must be Lovino!" Theodora said, breaking the silence and Lovino stopped staring at Heracles and looked up at Theodora, his eyes showing all his surprise when he noticed Byzantium's face. "I'm Byzantium…"

"Yes, I know…" Lovino told her and then looked at them both, "We were… waiting for you…"

Byzantium nodded, looked behind her where her boss was waiting patiently to be introduced. Lovino and Byzantium's boss started to talk and they decided to meet after dinner to discuss matters. All the time Greece noticed that Lovino from time to time looked at him and he knew they were going to talk in private soon. He couldn't wait.

"You haven't changed at all…" Lovino said when they were finally alone, together in Lovino's house. Greece nodded and smiled a little at Lovino's rude tone.

"You haven't either…" he said. Lovino shrugged.

"Byzantium told me that her boss wants to move the capital from Constantinople to Syracuse…" Lovino said, casually.

"Yeah…" Heracles said. A moment of silence and then: "I missed you, you know?", Lovino blushed and turned his face away from Heracles. "You are quite like me…" Heracles said, "I understand you and you understand me…"

"I-I…" Lovino stopped, "I kind of miss to not have to say anything to make them understand how I feel…" he said, "It's bothersome to have to explain everything…"

"It really is…" Heracles said, then he looked up at Lovino. "Do you ever feel lonely?"

It took Lovino a lot to speak but in the end he said in a whisper:

"No, not now…".

/a\

A month later Greece had to go but Byzantium told him she was going to stay in Sicily for a while more with her boss. Greece was kind of jealous and Lovino too, in his own special way, told him he should stay too. He couldn't, someone should return home.

"You know, nations don't have a lot of liberties…" Lovino said when Greece was ready to go.

"What do you mean?" Heracles asked.

"We don't do what we want…" Romano said and scratched his head, searching for the right words. "We always must follow our boss' orders or our people's desires. They don't care if a nation cares for another nation…" Lovino stopped, then continued: "For example… a nation cares for another nation… but if his damned boss decided they must go to war with another nation…"

"I understand what you mean…" Heracles said. "I don't know when I will be able to see you again…"

"Just keep writing…" Lovino said and then blushed a little but he didn't say anything else. Greece understood though and leaned down to peck his cheek.

"I'll write to you…" Greece said and a moment later his ship was ready to start its journey back to home. Some years later Byzantium returned home too and narrated to Greece everything that had happened when she was there. Greece learned that South Italy was under Arabian control and Greece prayed Lovino was well. Nevertheless, Heracles continued writing to Lovino, hoping his letters were going to be read, even if Lovino didn't reply anymore.

Greece's last letter to Lovino:

_Dear Lovino, Italy Romano, _

_Yesterday I remembered something Plato had told me so long ago… he told me that once upon a time human beings were one. They had four arms and four legs but two faces and in that way they could see all the world surrounding them. They were the strongest beings on the World and the Gods really envied them. So, one day, Zeus cut them in half and by doing so the first human beings became really weak and vulnerable… Plato said that everyone searches for his or her lost half. I wonder if it is like this for nations too…_

In 1453 the letters stopped. Greece's sister, Theodora Byzantium, fell in her own home in Constantinople and once more Greece had to suffer the death of a member of his family. He was, once again, all alone now and the news of his sister's death made him weak. Heracles was vulnerable when the Ottoman Empire decided to break into his own home in Athens. The letters stopped, his freedom was gone and Greece and Lovino never heard for each other for a long time.

One of Lovino's letters to Greece. Never received.

_Dear Heracles, Greece, _

_So many things are happening that it's starting to get on my nerves. I can't even calm down once a war is over than another one starts. I can only find peace when you are here, only because we don't need to talk much. I'm living with bastard Spain now, he wants me to clean and cook for him like I'm some kind of maid! Of course I don't do anything of the sort. I have been tossed around for many years now it's starting to get boring. Nations invade my house one after another, all of them after my inheritance and none of them really caring what I feel about it. They just come, play boss to me before some other nation comes to take me. I can't take it anymore, I'm so sick and tired of this that I just want to sleep it off. I stay hours thinking about Magna Grecia, how good she had been to us, we were free with her. Then I start thinking about our sister, Byzantium, about how much she looked like Grandpa... I remember the first time I saw her, she was really beautiful, and I remember you holding her hand… I remember you…wherever I start to get mad I remember you and I calm down… I don't know how you do it… you managed to make me miss you. My brother too misses you, he really loves your culture and he had tried to paint and make sculptures your style but he can't do it for now. I guess it will take him time to be perfect but he will one day, I know he will, and I wish you would be able to come and see it… _

/a\

All Heracles could think was that everything had changed from the last time he went to Sicily. It was obvious, really, as the last time he saw Romano had been more or less 1000 years before. He too had changed. Heracles was not a little boy anymore, he was a grown man, and he had already a lot of scars on his body, the most fresh being the one on his right shoulder, from Sadiq's attack. Heracles was proud of it because he had inflicted many more on the Turk's body in revenge.

Heracles looked around the city of Palermo. The architecture, the streets, the people had changed so much but the sun was as bright as it had always been and the scent of the trees was still familiar. The cicadas suffered from the hot summer sun and Heracles, once more, thought that it wasn't much different from his own home, back in Greece.

For a moment Heracles wondered if Lovino had changed too or had remained much the same. He couldn't wait to see him and he wondered if Lovino would recognize him. Heracles walked aimlessly around, he found a little bakery and brought something to eat.

"I was sure you would have liked those… you like syrup, don't you?"

Heracles turned around and he came face to face with a man a little younger that him, brown hair with a characteristic curl on the left side and always suspicious chestnut eyes. Heracles smiled as they started walking down the streets to the beach.

"Want one?" Heracles said and Lovino shook his head. They sat down on the sand and for a long moment they both stared at the sea before them. Heracles stopped eating and then laid down, motioning Lovino to do the same, but Lovino remained in a sitting position and stared at Heracles who was ready to fall asleep. "It's been a long time…" Heracles said then and his eyes met Lovino's chestnut ones.

"More or less 1000 years…" Lovino said.

"How's Feli?" Heracles asked, ignoring Lovino's pout at the mention of his brother's name.

"He wants us to become one… to serve under one flag…" Lovino said, turning to look at the sea. "…be one Italy…", Lovino stopped and sighed. "I don't know if that's a good idea…"

"I think Feliciano's idea is good…" Heracles said. "You were quite close when we were kids…"

"We never were…" Lovino spat. "They always liked him best! Even Spain who seemed to have a soft spot for me would have preferred to be Feliciano's boss!"

"I always preferred you…" Heracles said, taking Lovino totally aback. "Since I saw you for the first time…"

"I don't…" Lovino opened his mouth to say something but Heracles cut him:

"When they ask me about Italy…" he said, calmly, "I always think of you first…", Heracles turned to look at the clouds above, "When they ask me about Italy, in my mind I see Rome, Sicily, your food… you…"

Lovino wasn't looking at him but Heracles didn't need to stand up to know Lovino was blushing. Heracles remained silent for a moment then made to reach out Lovino's shirt but refrained from doing so.

"You were my first crush…" Heracles added then, his hand returning back, behind his head.

"Is that why you kissed me that time, bastard?" Lovino's voice was soft.

"Yeah…"

"I still have it…" Lovino suddenly said and Heracles turned to look at him,

"What?"

"The wooden sword… I still have it…"

"I…" this time Heracles was the one taken aback and without warning he stood up, grabbed Lovino's shoulders and made him turn around to face him. Lovino was startled for a moment but then he saw something in Greece's eyes and he calmed down. At the same moment Greece let go of Lovino's arms.

"I still have all your letters too…" Romano continued, his eyes dropping to the ground.

"Me too…" Heracles said and suddenly Lovino's lips were on his. Heracles gladly accepted South Italy in his arms, he opened his mouth, let him in, recognized all the familiar flavors of Sicily. Lovino remembered everything about his childhood, that little boy with green eyes that was now making him whole again, the one who had so similar way of thinking with him…

When they broke the kiss from lack of air, Heracles rested his forehead on Lovino's one and breathed in. Lovino was red and Heracles knew it was from embarrassment but, unexpectedly, the younger nation didn't move away. Lovino, on the other, was suddenly having a panic attack, he was so scared that once again something, anything, would make Greece go away, leave him alone. Every time it had gone like this: Heracles would eventually return home. Why would that time be any different?

It took Lovino a lot to realize he was crying. Heracles felt the tears fall on his shirt and he put his hands on Romano's cheek, tilting his head to make him look at him.

"Don't go…" Lovino managed to say.

"I will…" Heracles said, a punch in Lovino's heart. "You have a lot to do, you have to fight with your brother for a unified Italy and I have a lot of things to do too… but one day…" Heracles kissed Lovino again, "One day we will be independent countries and nothing will stop me from coming back to you… I'll come every year, once, twice, whenever you want me, and my house is open for you… whenever you want…"

It wasn't a goodbye.

Heracles wasn't going anywhere for the time being and Lovino knew he had all the time of the world with the other man. The only one who actually understood him. The only one who liked him for him. Lovino reached out, kissed and held the other man close.

They started to talk in a dialect both of them understood until the sun disappeared into the horizon and inside they knew that there will always be a connection that no one could ever break. There never was going to be a goodbye.


End file.
